Alastair visits Edgbaston as part of 2012 sporting fundraiser

Bears batsman Laurie Evans, Club legend Dennis Amiss and Committee Member Andrew Burn welcomed a special guest to Edgbaston today as keen cyclist and charity fundraiser Alastair Gordon called in as part of a 2012-mile journey around the UK for The Prostate Cancer Charity and Sport Relief.

Alastair’s journey takes him to more than 60 major sporting venues, including all Test Match cricket, all Premiership Rugby and all Premiership Football stadiums as well as Open Golf venues in England and Wales between 30 March and early May.

He arrived at Edgbaston from Molineux, home of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, before travelling on to Sixways, home of Worcester Warriors RFC.

Alastair, said: “When I decided three years ago to ‘semi retire’ from the world of high finance and needed an excuse to get out of the house, I came up with the idea of cycling to major sporting venues to raise money for Charity. The question then was what Charities to support? This became a challenge in itself as there are so many worthwhile causes, but I chose the Prostate Cancer Charity and Sport Relief.

“The Prostate-Cancer Charity was chosen because my father died of prostate cancer 10 years ago. One of the main aspects of its work is raising awareness of the cancer and how it can be diagnosed early and treated so the individual either recovers fully or lives a longer and healthier life. It has put Prostate Cancer ‘on the map’ in much the same way that Breast Cancer awareness came to the fore in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

“As I am visiting 60+ major sporting venues – and, politely seeking donations – it seems appropriate that the second charity links with the sporting aspect. Sport Relief does this in two ways – first, the majority of its fundraising is done through the medium of the ordinary person in the street getting out there and doing something healthy and sporty to raise money. Secondly, a good deal of the ‘charity’ that Sport Relief then dispenses is in the use of Sport as a means of enabling disadvantaged and deprived children to learn to live and have better lives.”

To discover more about Alastair’s journey and to sponsor him in aid of The Prostate Cancer Charity and Sport Relief, visit www.alastair2012miles.com.